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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Deadline Hollywood reports: Those Nomadland and Soul trophies better shine pretty bright because for ABC, Sunday’s Oscars were an expected ratings washout. In delayed fast national results just released by Nielsen, the 93rd Academy Awards were watched by a mere 9.85 million, with a dismal rating of 1.9 among the 18-49 demographic. That is an all-time low for Hollywood’s biggest …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Variety reports: It’s all come down to this. The longest awards season is drawing to a close, after an excruciating pandemic year that nearly destroyed the movie business. History looks to be made at the Oscars, with women and people of color getting recognition — but there’s also room for a surprise or two. In the winners tally, “Nomadland” is …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Deadline Hollywood reports: Caitlyn Jenner has responded to The View host Joy Behar’s apology for misgendering her on Friday’s show. “Don’t sweat it, @JoyVBehar,” Jenner tweeted on Saturday morning. “I’m not about cancel culture. I know where your heart is. California has bigger issues than pronouns.” Joy Behar, age 78, blamed a lack of sleep for using the incorrect pronouns …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

NBC News reports: Lindsay Lohan’s father has been arrested for alleged “patient brokering,” meaning he is accused of bringing addicts to drug treatment centers in Florida in exchange for illegal kickbacks, according to charging documents reviewed by NBC News. Michael Lohan, 60, was booked Friday and is the latest in more than 100 people arrested as part of a Palm …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Billboard Magazine reports: Les McKeown, the former singer of the Bay City Rollers, has died at age 65. His family made the announcement via a Twitter post on Thursday. McKeown was the frontman of the teen pop sensations during the height of their popularity in the 1970s. The group, which released 13 studio albums, had several that made the Billboard …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Deadline Hollywood reports: A biopic chronicling the life of Fallon Fox, the first openly transgender MMA fighter, is getting the big screen treatment from Mark Gordon Picture. Fox originally hid her transgender identity when she began competing professionally as a Mixed Martial Arts fighter, fearful that transphobia would lead to her being rejected by the league. As she began to …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Variety reports: Jim Steinman, the composer, lyricist and record producer who worked with artists like Meat Loaf, Celine Dion, Bonnie Tyler and more, died Monday, the Connecticut state medical examiner confirmed to Variety. He was 73. Steinman’s work appeared in a multitude of genres, such as adult contemporary, rock, dance and pop, in addition to musical theater and film scores. …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Deadline Hollywood reports: The Simpsons recently struck a chord with former Smiths frontman Morrissey, whose manager Peter Katsis chewed out the long-running Fox animated series for “trying to capitalize on cheap controversy and expounding on vicious rumors.” Late Sunday evening, Katsis shared a lengthy post on the singer’s official Facebook page responding to the show’s “Panic on the Streets of …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Michael Musto writes for The Village Voice: Not long ago, Oscar voters had a bias against streaming services because they were cutting into the movie theater biz, but now it’s accepted that that’s the way the business has shifted. And besides, last year these services stepped in and saved our asses. The winners will be announced on April 25 in …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Variety reports: Producer Scott Rudin has announced that he will “step back” from Broadway following allegations of abusive workplace behavior, Variety has confirmed. The move marks an extraordinary turn of fortune for one of the theater and film business’s most acclaimed and influential figures. Rudin has long been known for his feuds with top talent, as well as his lacerating …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Variety reports: Helen McCrory, the English actor who played Narcissa Malfoy in the “Harry Potter” franchise and Polly Gray in “Peaky Blinders,” has died, her husband Damian Lewis announced on Friday. She was 52. The British star also appeared in the James Bond film “Skyfall,” Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” and played Cherie Booth, wife of U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, in …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Variety reports: Pete Davidson is gearing up to portray punk rock pioneer Joey Ramone in the upcoming biopic “I Slept With Joey Ramone” for Netflix and STXfilms. The announcement comes on the 20th anniversary of Ramone’s death. The biopic will chronicle the life and times of the legendary musician — born Jeffrey Ross Hyman in 1951 — who cofounded the …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Variety reports: Colton Underwood, former star of “The Bachelor,” is getting his own reality show at Netflix, Variety has learned. The project, which is currently in production, is an unscripted series with multiple episodes, numerous sources tell Variety, describing the project as focusing on Underwood living his life publicly as a gay man. While the full scope of the series …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Just in from our pal Matt Baume: Chandler Bing: Lovable loser or gay best friend? Long before he wound up with Monica — spoiler alert — the show Friends considered making Chandler the most prominent gay character in television history. Until they decided to straighten him out.

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Variety reports: Chloe Zhao’s “Nomadland” dominated at the BAFTA Film Awards, where the Frances McDormand-led road movie picked up four prizes, including best film. The Searchlight-produced movie also won for lead actress, cinematography and director, putting it well ahead of all other films. Meanwhile, Anthony Hopkins won best actor for “The Father,” but wasn’t on hand to collect the award, …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Deadline Hollywood reports: With New York City gradually emerging from the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, one film-biz sign of life is a series of Oscar-nominated movies hitting the city’s big screens. Megaplexes and arthouses alike have been in reopening mode over the past month. In-person screenings for Zoomed-out Academy members and press are now possible for the first time …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Variety reports: Prince William has dropped out of this weekend’s BAFTA Awards, following the death of his grandfather Prince Philip, Variety has confirmed. “In light of The Duke of Edinburgh’s passing, The Duke of Cambridge will no longer be part of BAFTA programming this weekend,” said BAFTA in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the Royal Family, to whom we …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Variety reports: The BBC has set up a dedicated complaints page for viewers fed up with its own blanket coverage of the death of Prince Philip. Shortly after news of the prince’s death broke at noon local time on Friday, the BBC was swift in clearing its entire schedule up to 6 p.m. Later in the day, primetime programs such …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Variety reports: The Los Angeles Stage Alliance, the 46-year-old nonprofit that holds the Ovation Awards, has shut down after misidentifying an Asian nominee, prompting more than two dozen local theaters to withdraw their membership. The theaters, including the Geffen Playhouse, the Pasadena Playhouse and the Deaf West Theatre, revoked their memberships after multiple representational errors took place during the virtual …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Variety reports: A “reimagined” version of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “She’s the One” soundtrack album, now retitled “Angel Dream,” is one of the highlights of Record Store Day’s just-announced slate for its main 2021 event. Make that events, plural; with retail shops’ and customers’ sensitivity to pandemic conditions still in mind, the usual singular blowout day in April is …

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